Miscellaneous Items of Interest About Southview
Board Meetings
The very first Board meeting of the Southview Homeowner’s Association, back before it was little more than Don Davidson, was held on the 16th of August, 1983. There were three people present at that first meeting – Don-Lee Davidson, Director, Heidi N. Sause, Director, and David J. Pedersen, Director. They adopted the original set of by-laws of the corporation, and authorized a checking account as well.
The first board meeting of the Southview Homeowner's Association that had some of the new owners in attendance was held at Davidson Industries offices near Mapleton, on October 28, 1987. Owners in attendance that day were Kenneth & Carol Dickenson (lot #3), Larry & Sandy Woelfer (attending for Wendell & Nancy Gengler, owners of lot #20), Byron & Nancy Dudley (lot #18), Donald & Ethylene Christman (and Martin & Mary Christman, parents of Donald) (lot #21), and Daryl & Joyce Halvorson (For Lee) (lot #1). Others in attendance included Don & Gloria Davidson, Mark & Linda Vonderheit, Steve & Sue Saubert, Mike & Colleen Ohran, Aubrey Pendergrass, Bill Potter and Dick & Norma Russell.
Since that first meeting, the Board has met every other month, usually at the home of one of the Board members. Matters taken up at Board meetings include the state of our finances, committee reports as appropriate, and any old business carried over from the previous meeting. Any new business is brought up at the end of the meeting.
Southview Standing Committees
Nominating Committee
The Board of Directors appoints a Nominating Committee each year. The nominating committee makes nominations for election of members of the Board of Directors. Members may also make nominations from the floor at the annual meeting. The nominating committee consists of a chairman who is a member of the Board of Directors, and two (2) or more members of the Association. The Board of Directors appoints the nominating committee prior to each annual meeting of the members, to serve from the close of such annual meeting until the close of the next annual meeting. These appointments are shall be announced at each annual meeting. The nominating committee makes as many nominations for election to the Board of Directors as it shall in its discretion determine, but not less than the number of vacancies that are to be filled. Such nominations may also be made from among members or nonmembers.
A Maintenance Committee composed of three (3) or more persons, who may, but need not, be members of the Board of Directors, is appointed each year by the Board of Directors. These members must also be members of the Southview Homeowner's Association. It's their duty to see that the common areas at Southview are kept in reasonable shape, with trees, bushes and hedges being trimmed as needed, grass mowed, fertilized and watered, streets edged and swept, etc. Members of the committee or other Southview owners who do any of the physical work in the neighborhood are considered independent contractors, and are paid a nominal wage for their time.
Architectural Control Committee
An Architectural Control Committee composed of three (3) or more persons, who may, but need not, be members of the Board of Directors, is appointed by the Board of Directors each year. This committee is responsible to see that any construction within Southview meets the standards deemed necessary to maintain our high quality of life. And although this committee doesn’t at this time, meet very often, its responsibilities are wide ranging.
For example, the rules say that “No building, fence, wall or other structure shall be commenced, erected or maintained upon the Properties, nor shall any exterior addition to or change or alteration therein be made until the plans and specifications showing the nature, kind, shape, height, materials and location of the same shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Architectural Control Committee (ACC).
The ACC holds a formal meeting to consider any and all plans and specifications submitted by the Owner(s), and that meeting must be held no later than fourteen (14) days after submission of said plans and specifications. The Owner(s) have the right to attend that meeting and to make a presentation of their plans or specifications to the ACC.
The ACC must consider the plans and specifications with regard to the type and style of the structure, the quality and use of materials, the exterior design, the location of the structure upon the Lot, the proposed finished grades, the harmony of external design and location in relation to surrounding structures and topography, and the unique climatological and topographic elements of Southview. But, under no circumstances may any building have finished exterior walls of masonry blocks (except on the foundation only), or tar paper. The colors of the siding and roof material are also subject to approval by the ACC. The ACC must also take into consideration the location of the established view line for the lot being built on, as well as fire protection (hydrant) needs for the lot in question.
The ACC must issue its approval or disapproval within seven (7) days of the meeting date at which they considered the plans and/or specifications. To maintain the natural beauty of the subdivision, no lot(s) are allowed be cleared of natural growth or vegetation until plans for construction have been approved by the ACC. And in the event the ACC fails to approve or disapprove such design and location within thirty (30) days after said plans and specifications have been submitted to it, or in any event, if no suit to enjoin the addition, alteration or change has been commenced prior to the completion thereof, approval will not be required and the rules will be deemed to have been fully complied with.
To ensure that approved designs and construction are built in a timely manner, all approved designs must commence actual construction no later than twenty four (24) months from the date of approval. Failure to begin construction within that twenty four (24) month period will necessitate a re-submission of the plans for a new approval by the ACC. "Commence actual construction" shall mean the date that footings are poured for the dwelling.
Once construction has begun on any lot, said construction shall continue until the dwelling has been completed. Delays in construction of more than thirty (30) days are not allowed unless some compelling reason for the delay is presented to, and approved by, the Board.
Additionally, the Association has the right, but not the obligation, to hire an architectural advisor to assist and advise the ACC in their review of the proposed design and location of any structure. The Association, in the Association's sole discretion, may make any such architectural advisor available to assist and advise the person seeking approval. If the proposed structure is to be constructed upon the Common Properties, the cost of such architectural advisor will be paid by the Association. And if the proposed structure is to be constructed upon a Lot or Living Unit, the cost of such architectural advisor shall be assessed against such Lot or Living Unit and is immediately due and payable by the Owner(s) seeking approval. This payment shall be a condition precedent to approval of the design and location of the proposed structure.
No changes or alterations to a previously approved design, color, texture, material or any other exterior amenity to any structure on any lot will be permitted until a new plan detailing those requested changes has been submitted to, and approved by, the ACC.
Southview is, for all intents and purposes, in the country. Homes here are built with great regard for the landscape and the way nature presented it to us. This ‘back to nature’ attitude allows the animal population to roam freely, exactly as they've done for thousands of years. Besides the standard squirrels, chipmunks, bald eagles and other assorted hawks and birds (including a large, beautiful albino red-tailed hawk), we have larger guests as well.
Perhaps the most obvious evidence of nature is our constantly growing elk herd. When Mary and I moved into our home in March of 1998, the herd contained sixteen head, about four bulls and twelve or so cows. That number grew to nearly forty, in two herds, at one time. But with the increase in the size of the herd, additional damage to our common areas has been the result. During the rainy season it's not uncommon to see large piles of dirt accumulating by the side of our Lane from where the elk have crossed the road and climbed the bank on the other side. The heavier traffic has resulted in several areas on the east side of the Lane falling away precipitously close to the edge. Although there has been talk of contacting the Oregon State Fish & Game Dept. for some help thinning out the herd, nothing has been done as of this writing. And as of the date of this posting (June 2004) the herd is back down to a manageable eight or nine, so it appears that God sorts things out quite nicely without any help from man!
We have had as many as six deer at any one time. In the early months of 1998 it was not uncommon to see all six feasting on some professionally landscaped delicacy in our back garden area! They got so bold that they hardly jumped when we'd open a window to talk to them. Even the fawns wouldn’t run, but would just move a bit closer to their mothers.
Recently, we have seen only one or two deer, probably meaning that some have either been hit by cars or taken by bigger game in the area.
We have only seen one bobcat, but on several different occasions. It seems to like squirrels and other small animals such as mice and moles. It always appears to be well fed and, although wary of people and their bigger pets, never seems to be afraid.
Only recently have we seen our resident black bear. For years, other neighbors have reported seeing it swim across Lily Lake, or walking across the backdrop just east of Berry Creek to the east of our homes, but no one had ever seen it actually in our midst until July 20, 1999. That was the day that our daughter Helen, visiting from Colorado, looked in the back garden and said “There’s a bear in the back yard!”. Sure enough, a fairly large, beautifully coated black bear was ambling across our back garden from south to north, not fifty feet from our vantage point! Helen took her four-year-old son Austin into the Lane to get a better look at it, walking north toward vacant Lot #9. As she and Austin stood next to the driveway on Lot #8, they looked west to watch the bear stand up from behind the retaining wall, only twenty feet from them! She wisely backed up, very slowly, and the bear came down on all fours and walked across the Lane into the draw on the east.
Since that time, the bear has been sighted several times at the edge of the road, or crossing the road. She, too, looks well fed, and has a polished, beautiful black coat. We've also seen cubs over the years, so the population seems intact.
There are lots of coyotes in and around Southview. It is not uncommon to hear them howling in the evenings, especially when their young are being taught how to hunt and call others. Several have been seen on and around dumpsters when construction is going on.
One of the many distinct advantages of living at Southview is being able to watch the twice-annual migration of whales past our windows. In the spring, usually between the end of March and the middle to the end of May, we watch them going north with their young. They hug the shoreline to protect their young from sharks and such, so are readily visible. At times one can count more than one every minute, for hours at a time. When they find an area where fish are abundant, they circle and feed, giving all of us a great show! In the fall, November time, they head back south, but are usually further out and more difficult to see.
Additionally, it is not uncommon to see large groups of seals and sea lions sunning themselves, both floating and playing in the waves close to shore, or actually resting on the sand at the tide level. They too love the fish, and can often be seen churning the water when a school of fish swims by.
Christmas Parties and Other Get-Togethers
Most residents at Southview genuinely enjoy their friends and neighbors here, getting together as often as possible to ‘catch up’ if you will. Originally started as a small, intimate get-together at Christmas time, the Southview Christmas Party has blossomed into an event that usually sees nearly thirty in attendance. Paul & Judy Sause have graciously offered their beautiful home to host the party in past years, but with more new neighbors each year, we will probably have to begin thinking about having it somewhere else! We all get together for a social hour or so, after which we all sit down to a ‘pot luck’ dinner, eating wonderful things that all the neighbors have brought. After dinner we all enjoy a white elephant gift giving session, which never fails to create lots of fun and laughter.
We friends and neighbors at Southview also try our best to have Bon Voyage and ‘Welcome to the Neighborhood’ parties as people come to and go from our special place. We have had perhaps six of those over the years, and plan on having them for some time in the future.